When we found out about Mt Walsh National Park and the hike to Waterfall Creek which is also known as Utopia Falls, we knew we had to go and explore this part of regional Queensland.
We wanted to visit Waterfall Creek in Mount Walsh National Park because we love a good wild swimming spot and waterfalls to swim in so we were excited to find another one to add to our list!
We couldn’t find a lot of information about this Queensland hike and all we knew was how to find the carpark, so we just hoped for the best. We decided to put this post together to answer any basic questions you too might want to know before making the effort to go to Waterfall Creek in Queensland.
If you’re looking for things to do in Bundaberg or things to do in Hervey Bay which is about 1h30m away, then this could be the perfect day trip!
1. How to get Waterfall Creek in Mount Walsh National Park
You can literally just type into Google Maps: Waterfall Creek Section Car Park and it will take you right there.
Waterfall Creek Car Park.
The Utopia Falls car park in Mount Walsh takes 1h45m from Bundaberg although you’ll spend about 30 minutes or so on unsealed roads on the final bit to get there.
You don’t need a 4×4 car to get to the Utopia Falls near Bundaberg. You can drive a normal car and you’ll get there fine!
2. How Long Does The Waterfall Creek Walk Take?
Waterfall Creek walk map. My finger is pointing at where the Utopia Falls are located.
If there’s one thing I always want to know when researching any hike in Australia, I just need to know roughly how long it will take so I can prepare my backpack.
I had read the walk was about 3km return and would take 1 hour return. I always time my walks on my Garmin 235 watch and I can confirm that it took us 20 minutes to get to the Waterfall Creek Falls and we were walking very slowly and stopping to take photos.
It’s also a very easy hike to navigate. There’s only one path to get to the falls so you won’t get lost! When leaving the falls, look out for the steps on the left hand side you need to walk back up to leave the creek.
We spent about 30 minutes there checking out the pools and we walked a bit further up the creek. If you continue on up the creek, you’ll come to more swimming spots, but there’s not really a path so you’ll be walking on the rocks.
3. Do you need to wear hiking boots?
I had read you need to wear a good grip pair of shoes to do the hike because the rocks can be slippery if it’s been raining. To be honest, this is correct because whilst the first part of the walk is easy, you’ll then need to walk on rocks for a good five minutes or so before you get to the pools.
There is a faint track a bit further up the ledge but I would definitely 100% recommend wearing hiking boots.
We wore our trainers and looking back on it, we would have worn our hiking boots now we know what to expect.
Are you looking for a pair of hiking boots? These are my trusted hiking boots I always wear on most hikes including to Everest Base Camp!
4. Can you take kids to Waterfall Creek in Mount Walsh?
We saw a couple of families on the track who had young kids with them and it’s fine to take kids along with you. Just make sure you help them with the rocks but it’s not like they will need to do any climbing.
5. Can you swim in the falls?
You can swim in Utopia Falls! We didn’t because it had been raining so the water wasn’t great, plus it was a bit too cold. In Summertime, the Waterfall Creek Falls can get busy so I’d get there early.
There’s no facilities at the Waterfall Creek Falls so you’ll need to bring everything with you including water.
Overall, Waterfall Creek Falls is a lovely Bundaberg day trip and a great way to get back into nature.
Don’t forget to watch our video at Waterfall Creek!
Read More Guides Near To Mount Walsh National Park
Looking for more things to do in Central Queensland? Check out our guides below!
Waterfall Creek Mount Walsh National Park
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